SMALL FARMERS' DISCOURSES ON OIL PALM PROBLEMS AND SOME SUGGESTED POLICIES

Abstract

Complexities on oil palm problems (Elaeis Guineensis Jacq) should be done on multi- and even cross-disciplinary sciences (Hospes et al. 2017). Analyzing discourses on this plantation is one of them. It improves our understanding of farmers' local languages, perspectives, problems, cultures, and values within a specific and agricultural context. Using the linguistic point of view, we consider small farmers' discourses on oil palm plantations in West Sumatra, Indonesia. The objectives are (i) to identify the discourse mapping on small oil palm plantation concerning with a farmer group existence, plant disease, fertilizer understanding, personal health care, conflict over the location, prominent seed, transportation, crop sale, supply chain, pesticide danger, price irregularity, education, training, and development, (ii) to determine discourses on oil palm problems, (iii) to analyze the ideational and experiential meanings on small farmers' crucial discourses by using Linguistic Functional Systemic (LFS), and (iv) (iii) to signify and explore discourses on crucial oil palm problems. For
certain aspects, this article also criticizes LFS' transitivity systems proposed by Halliday based on the uniqueness of small farmers' discourse on oil palm plantation and Minangkabau language. Data were collected from 85 oil palm small farmers' questionnaires, structured interviews, and in-depth observation. The West Sumatra, Indonesia, was taken as a case study. 12 agricultural consultants in West Sumatra, North Sumatra, Bungo Regency, Riau, Jakarta, Bali, and Central Kalimantan, Indonesia were also interviewed as a basis for balancing and problem-solving as well as to get a discourse on the recommendation in 2018 to 2020. Thematic content analysis and descriptive statistics were applied to measure the questionnaire on farmers' discourses, perspectives, and problems.